Video has become such a popular online medium and while many site owners recognize the value, sometimes getting started with content ideas is the hardest part. If you have absolutely no idea what type of video content to create, below are some quick ideas to get started shooting video fast.
1. Employee Bios/Introductions
Many companies already do a “Meet the Team” page on their site but why not bring even more of a human element to your team and have your employees introduce themselves on camera, giving you some great video content for that section.
Some great questions to ask include "what you like about working for [Company]," "talk about your background and expertise," etc. The biggest hurdle here is that not everyone is comfortable on camera, so make sure you get everyone the questions well in advance so they can think about their answers and be prepared for being on camera.
Not only does this help you communicate your brand through your employees, depending on the type of business you’re involved with (ie: consulting) this can help potential clients or customers feel more comfortable purchasing your product or service.
2. Company Culture Video
Every company has a unique culture that can be communicated very well through video. Much like employee bios, this helps tie a human element to your business and can go a long way in communicating your brand. If you have a particularly interesting culture, you can also use this as a recruiting tool to get the best employees to build your team.
Communicating culture is often really hard to explain in writing and “showing” someone what your culture looks like is definitely the most effective method.
3. Run an AMA (Ask-Me-Anything) or Q&A
Many people attempting to create compelling video content often get hung up on trying to come up with a genius idea for what they think their audience will find valuable. Don’t forget that your customers and community are often the best places to source for content. Just ask them what questions they have or what they would like more information about.
If you run this in the format of an AMA or Q&A session it not only helps you create valuable content that answers questions but also helps you build a rapport with your community that can pay dividends in the future.
4. Answer Questions from Quora or Yahoo Answers
If you don’t quite have the community yet to solicit questions from, fake it! Grab a bunch of related questions from Quora or Yahoo Answers and answer them on camera.
This is a way for you to tap into questions that are important to the community and will help you become a valuable go-to source for people looking for answers.
5. Film Events
I’m a big fan of getting multiple uses out of a single project. If you’re running education events or seminars for your employees or the general public, film them and create video content you can share with the community. Many times one event can produce several videos that you can release in a series producing multiple, timed pieces of content that will keep visitors coming back for more.
As a bonus, you can also use this during budgeting season to get more perceived value for the cost of your events by adding more ROI after the events are over.
6. Turn Successful Blog Posts into Video
Continuing with the theme of capitalizing on a singular effort, identify what blog posts got a lot of traction and turn that content into a piece of video content. If you don’t have an active blog quite yet, find some popular topics/posts on other blogs, put your own spin on the topic, and create a video around the topic.
The biggest hurdle for both video content and blog posts tends to be trying to come up with something completely original but by re-purposing content, you can appeal to a new audience who may not have gravitated towards the original format or presentation but is more receptive to your angle.
7. Help Desk & FAQs
Many businesses have an FAQ section or help/support desk where they field customer questions. If you find yourself getting a lot of the same questions over and over again, create some video content around some of the most commonly asked questions. Not only will this help you build up a library of highly informational video content but it will also help cut down on the amount of customer support needed which can save you money and free your team up to tackle bigger problems.
If you have a business with a call center, see what types of calls are coming in to identify if there’s any piece of content you can create to help better inform potential customers.
8. News or Recaps
Being a great content publisher doesn’t always mean producing all of your content from scratch. A great tactic that many sites use are roundups (See Moz Top 10) where the site cultivates the best of the best for the reader. In a world that is increasingly noisy, there’s value in creating an easy, digestible roundup of content for the community. You can do this for video too, what works well is recapping the week’s news in the industry your business is involved in (ie: "This week in SEO").
9. Interviews
No matter what industry you are involved in, there will be influencers that are experts in their respective fields. An interview series can be a great way to create some really valuable video content without having to create unique ideas from scratch. Reach out to a few industry experts and try to line up a video interview series where you’ll have prepared questions to ask them (you can even source the community for these questions).
If you’re experts aren't local, it’s perfectly acceptable to do a Google+ Hangout or Skype with them, the real value here is their answers. As an added bonus, often they will push this out to their community of established fans and followers which will get your business more exposure to your target community.
10. Product Reviews or Service Overviews
Perhaps the easiest video content for you to create is around the products or services your business offers. This should be a no-brainer because hopefully you know your products/services inside and out. Simply get on camera and explain the finer details of what you’re offering. People process information differently and sometimes those product descriptions you've spent time creating aren't the best way for every person to make a buying decision. Additionally, tying a human face to a product or service can make a big psychological difference and help push people over the edge to convert.
There are many types of video content you can create, and these were just some quick ways to get started. Your approach to video doesn't have to be all that different from your approach to blog content. Present valuable content that answers questions and solves problems and you'll be on your way to having a robust video library. Use video to help you illustrate points that are much harder to do through text, and use it as an opportunity to communicate more nuanced messages about your brand and the people behind your company.
